The Link Between Us: Managing the Apocalypse

by C. J. Boyle

  "Kera, wait!" Brody went after her. "Kera?"

  She trotted down the stairs and pushed the door open, practically bumping into Mammy. Brody came out of the door behind her. Mammy was surprised for a moment. "Kera, listen...I wanted to say sorry for your loss." She pointed at Brody and then back to Kera. "You know, because one of the men you were sleeping with got killed, and all. I know that must be hard."

  Brody took a breath and looked away.

  Kera squinted at the woman, "Mammy, I honestly can't figure out if you're trying to cause trouble or if you're trying to be sincere."

  Mammy's cheeks turned a little red, "I'm being sincere."

  Kera suddenly came to the realization that Mammy wasn't even aware of the fact that she is abrasive and annoying. All this time, the woman was probably trying to interact with people and make friends. It made her feel sorry for her.

  Kera cleared her throat. "Okay." She nodded, "Mitchell was just my friend. We weren't sleeping together. But I appreciate the sentiment. Really."

  Mammy stood up straight and smiled, "No problem."

  Kera walked off with Brody in tow. He tried to catch her arm, but she slipped away. "Kera, why are you running away from me?"

  She whipped around and pushed him as hard as she could, but he only backed up a step. "Because I'm angry!"

  Brody pointed at himself. "At me?" He had that look in his eyes that clearly added 'are you serious?'

  "Yes at you! At him! At me! At everyone!" She looked at the sky for a second. "I'm allowed to be! Isn't anger a stage of grief?"

  "Okay." He crossed his arms, "Let's start with me."

  "You hated him. You wanted him dead or at least gone because you insisted he was in love with me. Now he's dead! You win." Her eyes shined with fresh tears.

  Brody pressed his lips together and nodded, "Okay, why are you mad at him?"

  She tried to look him in the face. "Because he died!" She covered her face for a second. "Because he acted like it was just a fun game he was playing between the two of you, when really he..." Her face turned red and she held her breath in an attempt to hold back her tears.

  "He was in love with you." He glanced away and wrung his hands together, "When did you find that out?"

  "Does it matter?"

  "No, I guess not." He shifted his weight, "Why are you mad at yourself?" He looked like he was concerned that he might not like the answer.

  "Because, I'm stupid, Brody!" Her tears flowed freely now. " I was hurting both of you and I didn't notice. That's me, self-absorbed, and only caring about myself and my own happiness. As if I could ever be happy." She stared at him and waited for him to say something and when he didn't she walked away.

  He watched her walk towards the field where Jessie was playing with Carl and Archie. He knew what he should have said, but he was too busy trying to figure out if she meant that he didn't make her happy. He knew deep down that wasn't true. What she meant was, she couldn't have a happily ever after. Even if she was happy for a while, it wouldn't last. He shook his head sadly. She was probably right. In the current world in which they lived, happily ever after might be impossible.

  * * *

  Dr. Wallace finished up with a couple of patients and decided to go outside and get some fresh air. It had been a few of days since Kera and the children came home and they had a funeral service for the ones they had lost. He had gone across the hall to see her, but each time he was turned away. She wanted to be alone. She let Brody in to see her a few times, but only for a little while. Dr. Wallace didn't know if the poor man was leaving because she wanted him to go, or because he just couldn't stand seeing her that way anymore. Wallace sighed as he stepped outside. The sun was shining and desperately trying to dominate the sky. The children were running around playing like the hyperactive little devils they were. Carl and Jessie were throwing a ball for Archie to fetch and life at New Hope, for the moment, seemed pretty good. He saw Brody standing alone looking at something that the doctor couldn't see until he was at his side. Kera was about thirty feet away sitting in the grass watching Jessie run around with Archie.

  Brody glanced at the doctor for just a moment. "Hey, doc."

  "How's she doing?"

  "Fine, I guess. She didn't beat Mammy to a pulp when, even I, thought she deserved it. So, she's either evolving or we should be really scared." He gestured to Kera with his hand, "Did you know he was in love with her?"

  Dr. Wallace was momentarily confused. "I assume you mean Mitchell?" He turned to face him and waved his hand, "I don't know about any of that. But I do know that he was a good friend to her."

  "I guess I just saw him as this bastard whose sole purpose in life was to piss me off."

  Wallace pointed at him, "Remember when you found Jessie?"

  "Of course, I do."

  The doctor continued, "Did anyone ever clue you in on why she was in solitary confinement when you guys came back?"

  Brody nodded, "She said that she went a little nuts and tried to go after me, so you guys locked her in there to stop her."

  Wallace chuckled, "Let's face it, she's nuts on a normal basis." He looked Brody in the eye. "She had to be physically restrained, and believe me, she fought like hell. Mitchell was somehow able to get her in there all by himself." He shook his head and smiled broadly, "I mean, the woman killed a Link with her bare hands for Christ's sake. Imagine the damage she did to Mitchell." Then he got serious, "She caused him some serious physical harm."

  Brody looked into the corners of his mind as if he was remembering something. "You mean his legs?"

  The doctor nodded and then pointed at him, "That girl, fought that man, to get to you." He watched his goddaughter. "And the door was locked only for an hour or so. She wouldn't come out after that. But Mitchell, he stayed outside that door to make sure she was okay."

  "I didn't know any of that." Brody frowned and thought about it for a moment.

  "My point is, I'm not really worried about her. She's got you. Just make sure that doesn't change." The doctor turned back to the prison. "Martha will be here tonight. She needs to talk to us about something important."

  "Do you know what it's about?"

  "Yes," Wallace nodded seriously, "Just make sure she is there." He headed back inside.

  "Okay, I will." He wondered to himself if he would have to pick her up and bring her there while she fought him tooth and nail.

  When Brody looked up, Kera was standing in front of him. Her eyes were a little red but otherwise dry. "I'm sorry."

  Brody ran his hand down her arm to her hand and then held it. "For what?"

  "For being me."

  "I'm not." He pulled her into a hug, "I love you." He leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. "I'm not going to let you push me away anymore."

  She nuzzled into him and squeezed him tight. "I don't deserve you."

  "At least you're aware of it," he joked.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The Lucky Ones

  The chopper landed only long enough for them to get out. Martha and Molly climbed out with several bags and quickly walked away from the chopper while it slowly took off behind them. Molly dropped her bags when she saw JoJo and ran into his arms. Martha smiled as she passed them and then gave one of her bags to her husband. Dr. Wallace furrowed his brow at her and put the bag on the ground before removing the other one from her hand and doing the same. "I think we can do better than that." He stood on his tippy toes and pulled his wife down a little so that he could kiss her. "I've missed you, Marty."

  She decided to be playful and funny and slid her arm behind his back and dipped him as they kissed. When she stood him back up and released him, his face was beet red. He picked up her bags and smiled at her. He bounced his eyebrows at her, "Let's go."

  Across the campus in Brody's apartment, Kera and Jessie were sound asleep on the couch. She had her arms around the boy as they slept. Brody stood above them wondering if he could pick them both up without waking them. He pulled his ce
ll phone out of his front pocket and snapped a picture of them before bending down to gently pry her arms off the boy so he could pick him up and bring him into the bedroom. He placed him on the bed and covered him up. He stood there looking at him sleep for a few moments. He suddenly realized how much the kid looked like Mitchell. He genuinely wished that Mitchell was alive. Not because he didn't want to raise Jessie with Kera, but because the poor kid was devastated. It was hard to watch him in so much pain. Not to mention the woman that he loved. Arms suddenly wrapped around him from behind, and someone leaned against his backside and hugged him. "That better be you, Kera." He turned around and looked down at her. "Thank God." He whispered and laughed softly. They both went back out into the living room and sat down on the couch together.

  Carl and Melissa walked in and looked at them. "Martha here yet?" Carl asked.

  "No, but I saw the chopper land a while ago." Brody scooted over so that one of them could sit down.

  "What's she want to talk about? Why does she want me here?" Melissa wasn't talking to anyone in particular. She was mostly thinking out loud.

  Brody leaned forward, "I don't know. The doctor just said that it was important."

  Suddenly there were three knocks at the door and then it opened, revealing Dr. Wallace and his wife Martha.

  "Speak of the devil," Kera said as they walked in.

  Martha looked at her out of the corner of her eye. "Which one of us is the devil, Kera?" The whole room felt it get colder. Dr. Wallace looked at his wife questioningly. When she realized that everyone was looking at her. "It was just a joke."

  Kera found Brody's hand and wove her fingers through it. They shared a sad look. She looked at Martha, "What really happened at the rehab center?"

  Martha told them what she had been dealing with in the Mountain and how Colonel Cockran orchestrated the Link attack on the rehab center. "You see, they brought the Links with them. They were the ones I was studying in the basement. They all have GPS chips in them and some of them have cameras on them. When I found out that my Links were missing, I turned on some of their cameras and started watching. That's when I found out what was happening and I told the General." She looked away from Kera to her husband for support. He nodded at her and then she continued, "As terrible as it was, at least we will be able to track down the children the Links got away with." She took out her laptop computer and opened it. She touched the screen and opened a program and then turned it to them. "They all doubled back to the rehab center when you all left. Probably because they smelled food. But they're all there." Martha looked at their faces to see their reactions. They all seemed a little dumbfounded except for Kera, who was crying. "What's the matter, Kera?"

  Kera swallowed hard and wiped the tears from her face. "You had my son in your dungeon this entire time?"

  Martha blinked a few times and furrowed her brow, "What are you talking about?"

  Kera told Martha how many times she and Brody set out to find Charlie, and the many places they visited to find him. Not to mention the mortal danger they found themselves in just to find out that he had been captured and imprisoned in a mountain all this time. She also told them the story about how Melissa stopped Charlie from taking Rose away. Kera watched Martha's face as she spoke. She had never seen Martha so upset. She was actually crying. She didn't even know the woman could cry.

  Martha wiped her eyes, "I'm sorry, Kera. I had no idea. I had access to the databases when the Links turned, but I didn't see the need to know who they used to be." She put her hands on her computer. "What is his serial number?"

  Kera felt bad. She knew that no matter what happened between them in the past, there was no way she would keep Charlie's whereabouts a secret on purpose. "It's CO44972." She got up and crossed the room to look at Martha's computer.

  Martha hit a few keys and then pointed at a dot on the screen. It had a bubble next to it that had Charlie's serial number in it. "There he is right there. At the rehab center with the others. Do you want to see his video feed?" She turned on Charlie's camera and they watched the screen. They had chosen probably the worst time to turn it on, because he was feasting on a deer. The deer's lifeless eyes melted away as Charlie spewed acid all over it.

  All the blood drained away from Kera's face. She swallowed hard, "Turn it off, please." She looked at Martha and put her hand on her shoulder. "At least we know where he is. Thanks, Martha. I'm sorry for making you feel bad. I know you didn't know."

  Martha looked at Melissa, "The Links seem to take care of the Link children no matter who sired them. Plus, they seem to treat the false Links like any other Link. So, the good thing about that is, when these children mature in a few months, they can go recover more children without the threat of being killed."

  It sounded like a good plan. Except the kids wouldn't be fully mature for another sixteen months. Jessie was older than the rest, but there was no way he could go on missions until he was older, and they needed to go save at least two children and collect any others that they may find. Kera looked at Melissa. She was leaning close to Carl and talking so low that Kera couldn't hear them. When she noticed that Kera was looking at her, she held her gaze for a moment. "You know I'm in, Kera. Just tell me when and where, and I'm there."

  Carl nodded, "Me too."

  Brody winked at her, "Me three."

  Kera grinned and then turned to Martha. She pulled her into the kitchenette and leaned in close to her. "So, this Colonel Cockran was the one responsible for Mitchell's death, right?"

  Martha looked down at Kera and crossed her arms. "Kera, you need to forget about the Colonel."

  "No, I want that bastard dead."

  "He is dead," Martha whispered looking her dead in the eyes.

  "How do you know?"

  Martha stepped closer to her, "Because I killed him." The two women held each other's gaze for what seemed like an eternity. The whole room was unbearably quiet. Kera and Martha both looked around. Everyone was looking at them. "What?" Martha raised an eyebrow and then she looked at Kera. She whispered, "They couldn't hear us, could they?"

  "You better look at your monitor, Marty." Dr. Wallace pointed at it.

  She and Kera walked over to the computer and looked at the monitor. Kera saw the video feed from Charlie. "I thought you shut that off?"

  The video showed the lower half of another Link. A line that looked like a six-inch upturned smile just below the pelvic area opened up and a hairy head started to slide out. Everyone had a look of abject disgust on their face. The Link grabbed the child's head and pulled it out of its body. It was covered in an amber goo and appeared to be almost two years old. Everyone watched curiously as the Link rubbed the child's back and body until it opened its mouth and gasped for air. It was a boy who looked Asian in descent. He started crying.

  Dr. Wallace shook his head, "That's amazing. I guess Rose was premature."

  "Where is Rose? I can't wait to meet her." Martha smiled at her husband.

  Carl smiled, "My brothers took her for a walk. They'll probably be back soon."

  On the monitor, the Link leaned over the boy as he opened his mouth and prepared to receive sustenance. Martha suddenly shut the computer. "We don't need to see that part." She looked at them all. "I guess you can probably figure out that the military will also be gathering as many children as they can. Only they will be training them to be soldiers."

  "Wow." Brody looked like someone slapped him. "That's fucked up."

  Martha nodded, "And they have way more resources than we do."

  Everyone seemed to be stuck in thought and the room fell quiet. You could almost see their brains connecting dots in the future and seeing a world where the majority of the people were trained to kill.

  Suddenly a knock at the door pierced the silence and everyone looked over at it except Kera, who looked at her watch.

  Dr. Wallace raised his eyebrow, "I wonder who that is?" He got up and walked to the door and opened it. "Reverend Lewis?" He opened it wider so everyo
ne could see him. They stood up and took a few steps to the door, with somber looks on their faces. As the reverend walked in, Dr. Wallace added, "What are you doing here?"

  Reverend Lewis looked at the sad people before him, "I'm not here to deliver bad news, if that's what you think." He smiled and looked at Kera. Everyone turned and looked at her curiously.

  "I asked him to come because I knew everyone would be here." Kera put her hand inside Brody's and looked up at him.

  Martha looked down at her husband and smiled like she knew what was coming. He just looked back at her confused.

  Brody had a happy look on his face, like he was about to be pranked, or the butt of a joke. He looked down at her. "What's going on?"

  She was like a deer temporarily caught in a car's headlights. She looked at his hand in hers. "This is kind of embarrassing because I meant to do this earlier. I didn't mean to fall asleep with Jessie."